Only
have a small space to grow a veggie garden…no problem according to Square Foot
Gardening Instructor, Carolyn Klickermann.
Carolyn, one of 4 Square Foot gardening instructors in Ontario
was the guest speaker at the September meeting of the Tweed
and District Horticultural Society. Carolyn’s enthusiasm for this type of
gardening had members eager to start planning their 2016 vegetable gardens. Perhaps
it was the idea of no weeding, no digging and no tilling that appealed to the
members.
Using
a power point presentation based on the work of the founder of this concept,
Mel Bartholomew, Carolyn walked the members through the stages of this unique
type of gardening.
Several key
points….
-area
for the garden needs to receive 6-9 hours of sunlight daily
-construct
boxes to measure 4 feet by 4 feet and a depth of 6 inches; staple landscape
cloth to the bottom and use Venetian blind slats for the grids, do not use
pressure treated wood
-allow
for walking aisles between the boxes
-soil…use
a mixture of 1/3 compost (made from a variety of different ingredients…shrimp,
leaf, kitchen, mushroom…at least 4-5 different types of compos), 1/3 peat moss
and 1/3 coarse vermiculite…DO NOT USE EXISTING SOIL FROM YOUR GARDEN
-plant
seeds in each square foot…2-3 seeds in each hole
-use
rainwater to irrigate
-when
you have finished harvesting a square, add compost to replenish the nutrients
and replant
Carolyn
suggested adding flowers to the boxes for some colour. She also suggested
vertical planting for beans, squash, peas and yes even pumpkins! Keep the
trellis on the north side of the box to maximize sunshine on the plants.
Due
to the rising cost of seeds, she keeps left over seeds in their package in a
mason jar with a bit of rice in the bottom. Store the jar in the fridge or cold
cellar.
For
more information on this topic, check squarefoot.com
COMING
UP….
September
8…Fall
clean-up of flower beds. Meet at 5:30 at Moira Garden.
September
12…Basket
making course with Naneen Tyner.
September
19…Children’s
Program….nature walk with Jim Pederson. Meet at Erin Palmateer pool parking lot
@ 10:00.
October
6…Cooking
with Trevor Telford, renowned chef at Black River Retreat. Trevor will share
his culinary skills as he cooks dishes using fresh fall ingredients.
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